CM vows to spend Rs 210b on public welfare
Staff Report QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister (CM) Mir Sarfraz Bugti on Thursday reaffirmed his resolve to spend the development budget of Rs 210 billion allocated in the current public sector development program on the welfare of the people. The CM presided over the meeting to review the progress of the Provincial Public Sector Development Program 2024-25. The meeting was briefed on the progress of ongoing and new development schemes of various government departments. The meeting was also briefed regarding overall progress on development projects, authorization of sector wise development projects and releases of funds. The CM expressed resentment over the performance of the departments that have used minimum development budget so far. Bugti directed that all departments should complete their development projects by the stipulated time and no delay would be tolerated in this regard. He stressed that “projects should be initiated with proper planning, if the planning is weak, it will not be possible to achieve the set goal.” He said that physical progress should be made on all development projects before the end of the current financial year. He directed secretaries to monitor the progress of the schemes daily while changing the strategy of appraising the development process. Bugti ordered secretary communication and works that 25 under construction sports complexes should be completed within six months and a project director should be appointed for this project. He directed that the secretary should take the ownership of these schemes instead of blaming other for the delay of the projects, adding that the unapproved schemes should be approved by the concerned forum by next week and informed the chair about the progress. Bugti said that his secretaries should attend the forum with full preparation and through the timely execution of development projects, its direct results will be reached to the public. He said education and health are the key priorities of the government as there is no room for any delay in projects related to the education and health sectors. Meanwhile, CM Balochistan appraised the performance of the chief executive officer (CEO) of Balochistan Education Endowment Fund (BEEF), stating that a Certificate of Excellence would be awarded to him for his outstanding work. He added that if institutions continue to perform in this manner, governance would improve. The CM emphasized that education is one of the top priorities of the provincial government, and the families of martyrs would benefit from this scholarship program. He also said that this program would encourage those students who were facing issue to continue their education due to financial problems. The CM further said that some scholarships under this program would be named on the martyrs of the province, and the program would provide equal opportunities for both male and female students, without any discrimination. He concluded that an educated society is a symbol of a strong and vibrant community. The CEO, BEEF Mohammad Zakaria Khan Noorzai, briefed the meeting on the overall performance of the fund, reforms, and the addition of five new scholarship categories under the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Scholarship program. He informed the meeting that from 2019 to 2023, Rs 6.3 million had been recovered from various universities. The provincial government is providing 2.7 billion rupees annually for scholarships under this program. Out of the 50 scholarships allocated for minorities, 37 students have already enrolled. Additionally, 130 forms have been submitted out of the 180 scholarships designated for students who achieved top positions in government schools across districts. The implementation of fully-funded Ph.D. scholarships at 100 top universities has also begun.